Top 20 Columbus Underground Articles of 2016

While 2016 officially comes to a close, we always like to look back on the past 365 days to review the year as it was in retrospect. A full breakdown of some of the most important and interesting Columbus Underground articles of the year serves one role in recapping the past, but a list of the most popular articles based on pageviews or impressions usually reveals a different set of priorities for our readership.

Below are the Top 20 articles of the year, based on how often they were viewed by our readers during the calendar year. And as a bonus, you can tune in for some discussion on these popular year-end topics in the most recent episode of the Confluence Cast, below. (As always, you can also subscribe to the Confluence Cast on iTunes for future episodes.)

One of the biggest individual development stories of 2016 was the announcement in July that Kaufman Development had big plans for the old IBEW building in the Short North. Some readers loved the potential and the architecture, while others had concerns with the height.

Any news about IKEA always attracts a lot of attention, even when it’s not about Columbus. Back in February, the company announced that it was cancelling plans for a Cleveland store. Which means that the Columbus location is likely to be even busier once it opens next summer.

When Campus Partners unveiled their plans for redeveloping several blocks of the University District around 15th and High, it made a big impression upon our readers. Some praised the scale and vision, while others took issue with the loss of local businesses and architecture in the area.

It was big news when filmmaker and provocateur Morgan Spurlock announced that he would be opening a healthy-ish chicken-centric fast food restaurant in Columbus. Of course, it turned out to be a much different story once the doors opened…

The bigger IKEA news of 2016 was when the retailer announced their plans for a Columbus store back in January. The location in the Polaris area is bound to be a traffic nightmare upon opening day, but the thought of Swedish meatballs and flat pack furniture is still exciting to many.

Once Morgan Spurlock’s restaurant opened to the public, it became clear that a clever ruse had been put into place. The restaurant wasn’t healthy at all, but was intended as a veneer to bring attention to the “health halo” issue that plagues the food industry in the United States.

A group of local developers announced plans back in March to construct a large-scale sprawling suburban haven on the northeast side of town. Once built, the new project will contain homes, offices, retail, restaurants and a whole lot of surface parking lots.

Long before Standard Hall opened (and was named as one of the best new bars and best new restaurants of the year), it was announced more simply as a replacement for what locals once knew as a music venue known as Little Brother’s.

Long before Balboa opened (and was named as one of the best new bars and best new restaurants of the year), it was announced more simply as a replacement for what locals once knew as a restaurant known as Shoku.

The writing had pretty much been on the wall at Haiku since March when plans to redevelop the site were first announced. It looked like the restaurant might stay put or relocate, but the owners announced in October that the time had come to close up shop.

One of the biggest (both figurative and literally) development stories of 2016 was the announcement of the proposed 25-story “Millennial Tower” building planned in the RiverSouth area Downtown. The project has not yet been approved, so look for more updates in 2017.

When local CrossFit business owner Mitch Potterf successfully won a lawsuit against OSU, it was noteworthy local news. But when the main CrossFit social media accounts shared the story to their three million followers, the news went viral on a much larger scale.

Columbus loves its festivals. Our annual list published each May contains a gigantic roundup of every major and minor festival in the region, which brings readers back to read it all throughout the year.

Back in May, the new Tanger Outlet Mall released its official list of stores that would be coming to the new Columbus location upon its opening. We published said list without thinking much about it. Little did we know the excitement that it would generate both regionally and with readers all throughout Ohio. That list was view over 180,000 times this year, with those numbers continuing to grow every day.

Share this:

Related

Walker is the co-founder of ColumbusUnderground.com and TheMetropreneur.com along with his wife and business partner Anne Evans. Walker has turned local media into a full time career over the past decade and serves on multiple boards and committees throughout the community.

features categories

Walker is the co-founder of ColumbusUnderground.com and TheMetropreneur.com along with his wife and business partner Anne Evans. Walker has turned local media into a full time career over the past decade and serves on multiple boards and committees throughout the community.